[Rec] The Emerald Rite: An Initiation into the Tabula Smaragdina with Manu

The Tabula Smaragdina, or Emerald Tablet, is one of the most influential and enigmatic texts within the Hermetic tradition. Originating in the Arabic alchemical corpus and preserved in Latin manuscripts from the twelfth century onward, the Tablet distills the essence of the Magnum Opus, the Great Work of transformation, into a sequence of concise and potent aphorisms. Its best-known maxim, “As above, so below,” has endured for centuries as both a cosmological principle and a guide to spiritual practice.

In this offering, faculty member Manuel Casanueva leads participants through the historical development of the Tabula Smaragdina, tracing its transmission from the Arabic world into Latin philosophical and alchemical thought. Key passages will be translated and interpreted, offering participants close engagement with the text as both metaphysical doctrine and practical instruction.

The event culminates in a collective Latin recitation and ritual invocation of the Tablet, restoring its original function as a spoken, living mystery. Rather than treating the Tabula Smaragdina as mere symbolic allegory, the session presents it as a direct initiatic encounter, where study, voice, and ritual converge to open a path into the heart of the Hermetic.